Bradley is our hero bar none

Catherine Pye

Cycling superstar Bradley Wiggins has capped a remarkable year by being named winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Now the down-to-earth Eccleston dad-of-two has announced everyone will be able to see the famous trophy, as he plans to put it behind the bar of his locals – The Farmers Arms, in Heskin and the Original Farmers Arms in Towngate.

The landlord of the Original Farmers Arms Barry Newton hosted a “riotous” night at his pub as locals gathered to watch Wiggins win the award.

And he welcomed the news that his establishment is set to have a new attraction behind the bar.

He said: “We will accommodate it with pleasure. It would be fantastic to have it here. It’s a really nice gesture.

“It would take pride of place during the day and we would put it away for safe keeping at night.

“I was worried when I first saw the size of the award, but there are a few places where we can put it.”

Wiggins is a regular at the pub, where he enjoys a drink and meal with his wife Cath and their two children Ben and Isabella.

Mr Newton says the four-time Olympic champion enjoys the kitchen’s fish dishes and mainly has soft drinks from the bar.

Wiggins has become a reserved but popular member of the Eccleston community since moving to the village to be closer to Manchester’s Velodrome.

Newton said “There was a lot of us in watching.

“The atmosphere was riotous. We were all voting for him and when he won, we all jumped in the air. We are dead proud of him.”

A mile down the main road, Ann Rothwell, landlady of the Farmers Arms, raised a glass to Wiggins’ success, before thinking about the prospect of hosting the trophy.

“We had about 20 people in. They all cheered when he won. It was exciting,” she said. “We were all voting for him. It was quite an emotional night.

“We don’t know when he’ll be in, but we would be absolutely thrilled to have the trophy behind the bar. We would be honoured.”

Tina Williams, owner of Tina’s Barber Shop in The Green, Eccleston, where Bradley has his famous mod-style trimmed, said she was “really proud” of Wiggins.

She said: “I voted three or four times. It was great to see him win.

“We’re all very proud of him. He’s such a nice bloke and he has a great sense of humour.

“But he doesn’t like stardom, he’s very down to earth and doesn’t like being bothered by the media.

“He was in having his hair cut the week before his accident and he signed a photo for the wall. He likes to support all of the local businesses, so I’m not surprised he’s offered to put the award behind the bar at the Farmers.”

Wiggins clinched gold in the time trial at London 2012, just 10 days after becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France.